


Treat you better

by RelaxedFox



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternative Universe - Human, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-18
Updated: 2016-09-18
Packaged: 2018-08-15 18:56:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8068885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RelaxedFox/pseuds/RelaxedFox
Summary: Looking at the taller girl like she had hung the moon and all the stars, Clary reached out for her, her palm up and an expectant look in her eyes. Isabelle grinned and shook her head, but took the other’s hand nevertheless





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! This is my first fanfiction, so if you want some tags added, have some tips how I could improve my writing or something, feel free to leave a comment. Also I'd like to thank Blue, who was my inspiration and Tam, who proofread this. You guys are AWESOME! Other than that: Enjoy!

Isabelle was shaking in Clary’s arms, her sobbing muffled from where she had buried her head in the other’s shoulder. Tears and probably some make-up were soaking the redhead’s shirt, but that was the least of her worries. Her friend - who she might or might not have a crush on – was currently crying her heart out, because of something her boyfriend did. It broke Clary’s heart to see her like that.

She softly rubbed Isabelle’s back while mumbling soft words of reassurance. How beautiful and wonderful she was, how she was worth so much more and how he didn’t deserve her. All the while she had to stomp down on the anger rising in her chest, because right now wasn’t the right moment. She could still cut his throat once Izzy was feeling better.

Clary didn’t really know what had happened, because as soon as she had answered the frantic knocking on her door, her friend had flung herself at her and started crying. Somehow she had been able to maneuver both of them into her room and onto her bed. Thankfully her roommate Simon was on a date with Raphael and probably wouldn’t be home until tomorrow.

After a while the shaking and sobbing receded until Izzy peeled herself off of Clary and wiped some tears away with her thumb, giving Clary a weak smile.

“I’m sorry I just waltzed in here like that. You probably had something else planned for the evening.” She gratefully accepted the tissue the redhead was offering her and dried her eyes.

“No, Iz, it’s okay. You know I’m always here if you need me”, Clary immediately rushed to assure her and after a moment added, “If you want you can go use the bathroom while I make us some tea, if that’s alright?”

She was rewarded with a nod and a small but grateful smile that made her heart skip a beat. She looked so fragile and young with all the smudged Make-up and the red cheeks that Clary had to resist the urge to pull her into a hug again. As she got up to make her way to the kitchen, Isabelle grabbed her hand, which made her turn around again, a confused look on her face.

“I just.. wanted to say thanks. For doing this and.. for being there for me. It’s nice to have a friend like you.” For a moment Clary thought she heard Izzy hesitate before she called her ‘a friend’, but surely she had just imagined that.

The other would never see her as a potential romantic partner, which broke her heart a little bit. Even though Simon always encouraged her to ‘just go for it’, she couldn’t muster up the courage to tell Isabelle about her feelings. What if their friendship suffered from it? She didn’t think Isabelle would be disgusted or something like that, but she would act differently towards her for sure.

“Don’t mention it”, Clary said a smile on her lips that turned a little bit playful, “Now go freshen up while I make us some tea and get some chocolate.”

Isabelle grinned in return, got up and vanished in the bathroom, while the small redhead quickly changed her shirt and aimed for the kitchen. She turned on the water kettle and searched around the cupboards for chocolate, which she soon found. Clary filled two cups with hot water and put teabags in them, before taking them and the chocolate bar to the living room.

As soon as she settled down, Isabelle came back, looking way happier than before. Even though the redhead was happy for her friend, it also made her stomach turn and alarm bells ring in her head. She knew something was wrong and when the other started talking, her suspicions proved to be true.

“Thomas called and apologized for being an asshole. It was all just a big misunderstanding! He wants to talk it out.”

Clary knew that reminding her how often it had ‘just been a big misunderstanding’ would get her nowhere. It would just lead to an argument, for which she really wasn’t in the mood for. Normally Isabelle never let someone walk over her like that, but maybe she was so in love with the guy that she viewed everything through rose colored glasses. 

“Well, what are you waiting for then? Go talk to him”, she said and forced a smile on her lips, while her chest hurt like it was being crushed by a heavy weight.

“Thanks for everything, Clary! I’ll call you later.” Isabelle hugged her one more time and quickly grabbed her stuff before making her way out of the apartment, leaving a heartbroken Clary behind.

The small redhead sat on the couch in silence for a while, before she couldn’t take it anymore and turned the TV on, to have at least some kind of noise to drown out her own thoughts. Being ditched by your crush – or anyone dear to you, really - wasn’t exactly a pleasant feeling. She crossed her legs and took a big gulp of the warm tea, but even that couldn’t chase away the cold feeling of reject.

 

It became a regular thing after that. Isabelle would come over, tears streaming down her face because of something her boyfriend did and Clary would comfort her, until Thomas apologized and everything was fine yet again. That’s why she was surprised, when one day Isabelle stayed over for the night instead of leaving again like always.

The redhead was even more confused, when they started spending more time together than usually. Not that she was complaining though. She enjoyed every second she got to spent with the other, but this was still strange, so one day she just asked Isabelle casually why she wasn’t with her boyfriend. The only answer she got was a shrug, so she let it be.

Over time the two girls grew closer and went out in the park or to a small cozy coffee shop, talking about various things and joking around. Sometimes when the weather was nice they would go to the lake, swimming around a little bit and having fun together. Other times they would just sit in Clary’s apartment, Isabelle posing while the other tried to capture her beauty in a drawing.

It was.. nice to say the least, but over time Clary started to realize, that every time the other went home to her boyfriend, she had kind of a sad look in her eyes. So she decided to do something about it and started planning something over the next week. Of course Isabelle noticed the redhead sometimes zoning out and having ominous conversations over the phone. When she asked about it though, Clary huffed and shook her head while jokingly calling her paranoid.

 

The next Friday evening Clary invited Isabelle to Simon’s next gig. He and Maureen would be playing in a nice coffee shop on an improvised stage, which was the perfect place for Clary’s plan. Of course Isabelle accepted the invitation and told her, she had to talk to her anyway. The redhead hoped she hadn’t done anything wrong, but refused to chicken out, after she had given so much thought in the plan.

So when Friday came around, she was standing beside Simon on the stage, hands sweating and heart pounding while she searched the room for familiar long dark brown hair and wonderful chocolate brown eyes. Maybe Isabelle ditched her and this was all for nothing? She couldn’t spot her friend anywhere in the room. Right as she wanted to call the whole thing off, the bell above the door rang, indicating someone had entered the shop.

Hopeful she turned her head and spotted Isabelle, who was making her way to their regular table, where Raphael was already seated with a black coffee. Confused at first, she looked around, clearly searching for the redhead, until Simon’s boyfriend tipped her on the shoulder and pointed to the stage. When Isabelle turned around and spotted Clary, she drew her eyebrows together in confusion.

The other only smiled and winked at her, before then took the microphone.

“Good evening, everybody! I’m Clary and I know, fans of Rock Solid Panda are confused as to why I am here. Thing is, tonight there’s someone very dear to me sitting in the audience and because this small band is really awesome, they allowed me on stage for one song. So.. Isabelle? This is something I wanted to tell you for quite a while.”

Clary turned to Simon, nodding to give him a sign to start playing, while her stomach flipped and her heart seemed to want to jump out of her ribcage. Her eyes darted from one person to the next, the tension in the shoulders showing how nervous she was. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.

Simon started playing the guitar, his fingers pulling at the strings while he looked to Clary, smiling encouragingly. Yes, she could do this. She smiled at him, thankful for the support and brought the microphone to her lips. Then she started to sing, voice full of emotion:

 

 _“I won't lie to you_  
I know he's just not right for you  
And you can tell me if I'm off  
But I see it on your face  
When you say that he's the one that you want  
And you're spending all your time  
In this wrong situation  
And anytime you want it to stop

 _I know I can treat you better than he can_  
And any girl like you deserves a gentleman  
Tell me why are we wasting time  
On all your wasted crying  
When you should be with me instead  
I know I can treat you better  
Better than he can”

Clary’s gaze lingered on Isabelle all the time, her expression sincere and her eyes full of love, trying to convey all the feelings she had kept a secret from the other. She was delighted when she noticed the light blush on Izzy’s cheeks that matched her own and all the tension left her once the other smiled at her. 

_“I'll stop time for you_  
The second you say you'd like me too  
I just wanna give you the loving that you're missing  
Baby, just to wake up with you  
Would be everything I need and this could be so different  
Tell me what you want to do  
  
Cause I know I can treat you better  
Than he can  
And any girl like you deserves a gentleman  
Tell me why are we wasting time  
On all on your wasted crime  
When you should be with me instead  
I know I can treat you better  
Better than he can  
  
Better than he can”

 

Slowly Clary started to make her way off the stage and to the table, where Isabelle and Raphael were seated. The blush on the other girl’s cheeks got more prominent and her smile even brighter. A warm feeling made itself a home in Clary’s chest and made every nerve in her body tingle like it had been set on fire.

 

_“Give me a sign  
Take my hand, we'll be fine”_

 

Looking at the taller girl like she had hung the moon and all the stars, Clary reached out for her, her palm up and an expectant look in her eyes. Isabelle grinned  and shook her head, but took her hand nevertheless and was pulled up and on stage by the small redhead.

 

 _“Promise I won't let you down_  
Just know that you don't  
Have to do this alone  
Promise I'll never let you down”

 

Clary turned around as soon as they got on stage, but didn’t let go of the other’s hand, instead she interlaced their fingers and smiled lovingly at the other. Isabelle’s expression mirrored her’s, her eyes full of warmth and her thumb stroking lightly over the backside of the other’s hand, the touch sending sparks from her hand trough her whole body. She felt electrified and her whole world had narrowed down to the girl in front of her.

 

 _“Cause I know I can treat you better_  
Than he can  
And any girl like you deserves a gentleman  
Tell me why are we wasting time  
And all on your wasted crime  
When you should be with me instead  
I know I can treat you better  
Better than he can  
  
Better than he can  
Better than he can”

 

Clary’s singing got quieter at the last few lines, ending the song with softness in her voice. She was panting a little bit, not being used to singing this much and looked at into the other’s beautiful brown eyes, that reminded her of dark chocolate. She felt like she was looking at god’s most beautiful angel. The thought made her smile, her adoration towards Isabelle clear in her expression, while she waited for some kind of reaction.

The audience erupted in cheers and applauds, some of them even whistling. Clary was pretty sure that Simon was the one who cheered the most, but all the noises faded in the background, when Isabelle gently laid her hand against Clary’s cheek and closed the distance between them to press her lips against the other’s.

At first Clary was surprised and didn’t move for a moment, while her heart seemed to have stopped in its tracks only to start beating even faster than before. _Isabelle was kissing her!_ Right when the other pulled back, confusion written all over her face, Clary reached out and grabbed her by the collar to pull her in again and connect their lips once more.

When she had imagined kissing Isabelle, it had always been a searing and demanding kiss, all teeth and tongue, while hands sought contact. But that wasn’t the case. The kiss was all sweetness, lips moving softly against each other. It was intimate and warm and everything the Clary had every wanted. She smiled in the kiss, finally putting her arms around the other’s neck like she always wanted to and pressing herself against Isabelle, seeking closeness.

They only separated when the need for oxygen arose, but still stayed close to each other, foreheads still touching and a lovesick grin on both their faces.

“So.. what happened to your boyfriend?”, Clary asked jokingly, gazing into the others eyes.

“You mean _ex_ -boyfriend?”, Isabelle joked back and huffed. “We broke up. That’s what I was going to tell you. He screamed at me for spending my time with you, when I could’ve spent it with him and that’s when I realized, that I prefer your companion over his anytime. I’m sorry it took me so long to realize that.”

“Don’t apologize, you thought he was the right one.”

“Yeah.. about that.. I-.. I was kind of using him to ignore my feelings for you”, Isabelle admitted and bit her lip. “It was.. so confusing, because we were just friends and.. I didn’t want to ruin this.”

“Well, I’m happy everything worked out for us. I’d love to hear more about you pining for me, while I, too, was pining for you, but maybe we shouldn’t continue to occupy the stage”, Clary whispered grinning and pulled the other off the stage and past the smiling people to their table, where a slightly less grumpy Raphael was sitting. His lip twitched like he wanted to smile but had to maintain the image of an emotionless grump.

 

He still congratulated them for “finally getting their shit together and admitting their love towards each other”. Coming from him this was a compliment. Isabelle and Clary automatically looked at each other, grinned before thanking the young man and engaging in a slight conversation with him while Simon played in the background with Maureen. The atmosphere in the coffee shop was very pleasant and the people so nice that Clary found herself wishing for the evening to never end.

But looking at her now girlfriend talk to Raphael, sometimes throwing in Spanish words without thinking, she also couldn’t wait to spend her days with her. She was excited for lazy mornings together, morning kisses and walks in the park, but most of all, she was excited to have the other at her side.

 

 

Few years later Clary and Isabelle were sitting on the couch in the living room of their shared home. It wasn’t a big villa or something like that, but a cozy house with a big backyard with a small pond in it. They were both working and very happy with their jobs. While Clary was quite a famous artist, Isabelle was a self-defense trainer, teaching young girls how to protect themselves and encouraging them to follow their dreams.

At the moment they were enjoying their free time though, skipping through the channels on the TV while being all cuddled up against each other. Sometimes they would kiss and make out lazily, before resulting back to watching whatever was currently on television.

They were about to kiss yet again when they were interrupted by Artemis, the Labrador they had found on the streets when she had still been a puppy. She nudged them softly with her nose and made a whining sound, until they both laughed and moved a little bit, until there was enough room for the dog. She immediately jumped on the furniture and lay across their laps, thinking she was still a small puppy. Both, Isabelle and Clary, laughed at that and stroked the soft fur of the cuddly dog, before their gazes met, a warm smile on both of their faces.

“I love you”, Clary whispered softly.

“I love you too.” And then they were kissing again, enjoying the moment. Both were content with the way things were at the moment and couldn’t imagine a future without the other.


End file.
